My Journey as a Sitarist: Following My Passion for Music

My journey as a Sitarist started long before I even knew it. Being born into a family of classical Indian musicians, music was always in my blood. Even in my mother's womb, I heard the sweet strains of the sitar being played by my family members.

As a child, I had many aspirations - from wanting to be a cricketer to dreaming of becoming an architect or engineer. But my love for music never faded, and I started taking sitar lessons from my uncle, Shri Prashant Thakur Ji, when I was just three years old.

Music has always been an integral part of my life, and I owe it all to my parents who were my first gurus. My father was the one who first introduced me to music and gave me my first talim on the Sitar. He patiently guided me through the initial stages of learning and helped me develop a strong foundation in the art. His guidance played a crucial role in shaping me as a Sitar performer.

As I progressed in my musical journey, my mother too played a significant role in supporting me. She even left her job to travel with me to Kolkata from our hometown of Ranchi so that I could take talim from Pt Kushal Das Ji, one of the most renowned Sitar players in India. Her dedication and love for my passion for music have been a constant source of inspiration and motivation for me.

Together, my parents have been the pillars of support throughout my musical journey, and I owe all my success in this field to their guidance and encouragement. Their contribution to my life as my first gurus will always hold a special place in my heart, and I will forever be grateful for their unwavering support.

As I grew up, I continued my sitar practice, under the tutelage of Pt Kushal Das Ji, I would travel from Ranchi to Kolkata for my sitar talim, and I loved every moment of it. Music became more than just a hobby for me - it became my passion and my life.

But towards the end of my school years, I fell in love with economics and wanted to pursue it as a career. I got into one of the best colleges in India for economics - Hindu College of Delhi University - and it was a huge achievement for a small-town boy like me. However, I knew that pursuing economics would mean letting go of music, and that was a decision I was not willing to make.

In college, I became the president of the music society and continued to perform and practice the sitar. I realized that if I wanted to become a sitar performer, I would have to let go of my dream of becoming an economist. And so, I chose to pursue music full-time and became a freelance sitar player.

Today, I am grateful for the decision I made. Every day, I wake up feeling blessed that I get to do what I love - play the sitar - and share my music with the world. I know that I have a long way to go in my journey as a performing artist, but I am excited for what the future holds.

Becoming a sitarist has taught me the importance of following your dreams and doing what you love, no matter what. It has also taught me discipline, patience, and perseverance. I am happy of the performer I have become, and I can't wait to see where my music takes me next.